Download CLEP Introductory Psychology

CLEP® Introductory Psychology: at a Glance
Description of the Examination
The Introductory Psychology examination covers material
that is usually taught in a one-semester undergraduate
course in introductory psychology. It stresses basic facts,
concepts, and generally accepted principles in the 13 areas
listed in the following section.
The examination contains approximately 95 questions
to be answered in 90 minutes. Some of these are pretest
questions that will not be scored. Any time candidates
spend on tutorials and providing personal information is in
addition to the actual testing time.
Knowledge and Skills Required
7–8% Sensation and Perception
• Attention
• Other senses: somesthesis, olfaction, gustation,
vestibular system
• Perceptual development
• Perceptual processes
• Receptor processes: vision, audition
• Sensory mechanisms: thresholds, adaptation
5–6% States of Consciousness
• Hypnosis and meditation
• Psychoactive drug effects
Questions on the Introductory Psychology examination
require candidates to demonstrate one or more of the
following:
10–11% Learning
• Knowledge of terminology, principles, and theory
• Biological bases
• Ability to comprehend, evaluate, and analyze
problem situations
• Classical conditioning
• Ability to apply knowledge to new situations
• Observational learning
The subject matter of the Introductory Psychology
examination is drawn from the following topics. The
percentages next to the main topics indicate the
approximate percentage of exam questions on that topic.
8–9% History, Approaches, Methods
• History of psychology
• Approaches: biological, behavioral, cognitive,
humanistic, psychodynamic
• Research methods: experimental, clinical, correlational
• Ethics in research
8–9% Biological Bases of Behavior
• Endocrine system
• Etiology
• Functional organization of the nervous system
• Genetics
• Neuroanatomy
• Physiological techniques
• Sleep and dreaming
• Cognitive process in learning
• Operant conditioning
8–9% Cognition
• Intelligence and creativity
• Language
• Memory
• Thinking and problem solving
7–8% Motivation and Emotion
• Biological bases
• Hunger, thirst, sex, pain
• Social motivation
• Theories of emotion
• Theories of motivation
8–9% Developmental Psychology
• Dimensions of development: physical, cognitive,
social, moral
• Gender identity and sex roles
• Heredity–environment issues
• Research methods: longitudinal, cross-sectional
• Theories of development
CLEP Introductory Psychology: at a Glance
7–8% Personality
• Assessment techniques
• Growth and adjustment
• Personality theories and approaches
• Research methods: idiographic, nomothetic
• Self-concept, self-esteem
8–9% Psychological Disorders and Health
• Affective disorders
• Anxiety disorders
• Dissociative disorders
• Health, stress, and coping
• Personality disorders
• Psychoses
• Somatoform disorders
• Theories of psychopathology
7–8% Treatment of Psychological Disorders
• Behavioral therapies
• Biological and drug therapies
Study Resources
Most textbooks used in college-level introductory
psychology courses cover the topics in the outline above,
but the approaches to certain topics and the emphases
given to them may differ. To prepare for the Introductory
Psychology exam, it is advisable to study one or more
college textbooks, which can be found for sale online or
in most college bookstores. You may also find it helpful
to supplement your reading with books listed in the
bibliographies that can be found in most psychology
textbooks.
A recent survey conducted by CLEP® found that the
following textbooks are among those used by college
faculty who teach the equivalent course. Most of these
have companion websites with practice test questions and
other study resources. HINT: When selecting a textbook,
check the table of contents against the knowledge and
skills required for this test.
Brannon and Lefton, Psychology (Allyn & Bacon)
Coon, Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior
(Wadsworth)
• Cognitive therapies
Feldman, Essentials of Understanding Psychology
(McGraw-Hill)
• Community and preventive approaches
Gerrig and Zimbardo, Psychology and Life (Allyn & Bacon)
• Insight therapies: psychodynamic and humanistic
approaches
Hockenbury and Hockenbury, Psychology (Worth)
7–8% Social Psychology
• Aggression/antisocial behavior
• Attitudes and attitude change
• Attribution processes
• Conformity, compliance, obedience
• Group dynamics
• Interpersonal perception
3–4% Statistics, Tests, and Measurement
• Descriptive statistics
Huffman, Living Psychology (Wiley)
Kowalski and Westen, Psychology (Wiley)
Lahey, Essentials of Psychology: An Introduction (McGraw-Hill)
Meyer and Ciccarelli, Psychology (Prentice Hall)
Myers, Exploring Psychology (Worth)
Nairne, Psychology: The Adaptive Mind (Wadsworth)
Pastorino and Doyle-Portillo, What Is Psychology? (Wadsworth)
Rosenberg and Kosslyn, Psychology in Context (Allyn & Bacon)
Santrock, Psychology Essentials (McGraw-Hill)
Smith and Passer, Psychology: The Science of Mind and
Behavior (McGraw-Hill)
• Inferential statistics
Wood et al., The World of Psychology: Portable Edition
(Allyn & Bacon)
• Measurement of intelligence
Zimbardo et al., Psychology Core Concepts (Allyn & Bacon)
• Mental handicapping conditions
• Reliability and validity
• Samples, populations, norms
• Types of tests
In addition, the following resources, compiled by the CLEP
test development committee and staff members, may help
you study for your exam. However, none of these sources
CLEP Introductory Psychology: at a Glance
are designed specifically to provide preparation for a CLEP
exam. The College Board has no control over their content
and cannot vouch for accuracy.
3.
www.psywww.com
(Psych Web — includes resource links and an introductory
psychology textbook)
http://psych.athabascau.ca/html/aupr/demos.shtml
(Centre for Psychology Resources)
A psychologist wishes to examine whether
childhood exposure to domestic pets within the
household relates to sociability as an adult. He
asks a group of 100 adults to complete a test of
sociability and to report the number of pets in
their households when they were between five
and 10 years old. The psychologist is using which
of the following research methods?
A. Experiment
www.apa.org/topics/index.aspx
(American Psychological Association Resources)
B. Longitudinal study
Visit clep.collegeboard.org/test-preparation for
additional psychology resources. You can also find
suggestions for exam preparation in Chapter IV of the CLEP
Official Study Guide. In addition, many college faculty post
their course materials on their schools’ websites.
D. Correlational study
C. Case study
E. Naturalistic observation
4.
Sample Test Questions
The following sample questions do not appear on an actual
CLEP examination. They are intended to give potential
test-takers an indication of the format and difficulty level
of the examination and to provide content for practice and
review. For more sample questions and info about the test,
see the CLEP Official Study Guide.
1.
The behavioral research perspective is similar
to the sociocultural research perspective
because both focus on how behavior and mental
processes are explained by
A. extinction
B. counterconditioning
C. higher-order conditioning
D. stimulus discrimination
E. stimulus generalization
5.
Priming is considered part of implicit memory
because it
A. internal factors such as genes
A. occurs without conscious awareness
B. the external environment
B. often involves emotions
C. memory systems
C. helps in recognition but not in recall
D. evolution
D. plays an important role in autobiographical
memory
E. problem-solving skills and reasoning
2.
After initial conditioning, an unconditioned
stimulus is no longer presented with the
conditioned stimulus, and the conditioned
response gradually stops occurring. This change
in behavior is called
Which of the following cortical areas is most
closely associated with vision?
A. Frontal
B. Prefrontal
C. Temporal
E. requires deep encoding
6.
Which of the following is a disadvantage of
relying on external rewards to motivate behavior?
A. There is potential to reduce extrinsic
motivation.
D. Occipital
B. There is potential to reduce intrinsic
motivation.
E. Parietal
C. It increases fear of failure.
D. It increases fear of success.
E. It decreases competency.
CLEP Introductory Psychology: at a Glance
7.
Researchers know that infants’ sense of smell is
fairly well developed at birth because newborns
prefer the smell of
A. sweet-smelling to the smell of sour-smelling
foods
B. meat to the smell of fruits
C. a nursing pad from their mother to the smell
of a pad from another mother
8.
10. In order to illustrate how often a particular score
occurs in a given data set, researchers use
A. inferential techniques
B. cognitive mapping
C. cluster analysis
D. the median
E. a frequency distribution
D. an acid to the smell of a base
Credit Recommendations
E. a baby’s clothing to the smell of an adult’s
clothing
The American Council on Education has recommended
that colleges grant three credits for a score of 50, which
is equivalent to a course grade of C, on the CLEP
Introductory Psychology exam. Each college, however,
is responsible for setting its own policy. For candidates
with satisfactory scores on the Introductory Psychology
examination, colleges may grant credit toward fulfillment
of a distribution requirement, or for a particular course
that matches the exam in content. Check with your school
to find out the score it requires for granting credit, the
number of credit hours granted, and the course that can be
bypassed with a passing score.
Amy appears to have an irrational and
maladaptive fear of flying. She will not fly to visit
her children and grandchildren, and she has
even lost a job because she refused to fly to meet
clients. Amy would most likely be diagnosed with
which of the following anxiety disorders?
A. Generalized anxiety
B. Specific phobia
C. Social anxiety
D. Obsessive–compulsive
Answers to Sample Questions: 1-B; 2-D; 3-D; 4-A; 5-A; 6-B;
7-C; 8-B; 9-E; 10-E
E. Panic
9.
Tom fails his math exam. If he explains his failure
by using an internal attribution, his reason for
failing might be which of the following?
A. The teacher was unclear when presenting
the material in class.
B. Tom’s job did not leave him enough time to
study.
C. The person sitting next to Tom during the
exam was very distracting.
D. There was not enough time allotted to
complete the exam.
E. Tom is not smart or not good at math.
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